We stayed at Giada Hotel in Florence for 2 nights (September 19–21, 2011). It's centrally-located, within easy walking distance of pretty much everything (the train station, Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo & Medici Chapel directly across the street, Il Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, & Piazzale Michelangelo). We had a bit of difficulty finding the hotel because the name on the building was partially hidden by the street market kiosks blocking it - the street market is literally right outside the hotel’s front door.

The staff, including Eva at the reception desk, were quite nice and helpful enough. We discovered that there is another hotel in the building (much nicer & a bit more expensive), Hotel Corte dei Medici, which shares the reception, stairs & elevator with the Giada Hotel. The breakfast was basic & good enough to get you going in the morning (no cooked food such as eggs, bacon, or sausages – just croissants, toast, cereal, cold meats, cheese, & yogurt).

Our room was on the south side of the hotel’s 2nd floor facing the cobble-stoned street where the market kiosks are wheeled into storage each night. Extremely noisy when the vendors are setting up in the early morning hours (starting at about 5 am), & packing up at night (until midnight). It can also get loud when party-goers are roaming the streets in the middle of the night. Like many hotel rooms in Europe, our room was very small & barely big enough for our 2 suitcases, however we were thankful that we had a working air conditioner. We overheard a couple of other people complaining about their a/c not working. The room was very basic with a tiny bathroom, springy, uncomfortable twin beds, & an old tv. Overall the room, bathroom, sheets, and towels appeared to be very clean, but when I woke up the 1st morning I found tiny spots of blood on the sheets below my pillow, & two small red bugs on the side of the bed. Although I wasn’t sure what they were initially, it became obvious when I proceeded to kill them with a Kleenex & blood squirted out. BEDBUGS - pretty nasty! When I returned home a few days later, my back, arms, shoulders, & face broke out into about 30 itchy, red welts. At first I thought that I had been eaten alive by mosquitoes, but after some internet research I was able to locate photos of bedbugs which looked exactly like the ones found in the hotel room.

Although I travel extensively and have stayed in both budget & 5-star hotels, I had never encountered bedbugs until this trip. They have become an uncontrollable global problem, no matter what type of hotel a person stays in. As one other traveller noted in his review, it’s not a reflection of the hotel’s cleanliness. The bedbugs may have been brought in by a previous guest. Regardless, the problem needs to be dealt with by an exterminator. Note to self & to other travellers: always inspect the bed before settling in & opening the suitcase! You don't want to bring this type of souvenir home with you.